A way to protect a part of Africa

Part of Africa is your gateway to a magical private game reserve in the Tuli Block in Botswana. Every month we ask a fellow co-owner to let us know why he or she decided to invest in this reserve. This month we had the pleasure of interviewing Alfonso from Spain, co-owner since 2006.

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Can you tell something about who you are, where you are from and what you do in everyday life?

I am a 58 years old Spanish business man, married, with two children, living in Madrid. Electronic engineer and MBA, with nature as one of my main interests in life. Hobbies are: wild life photography, motorcycles, tennis, skiing, travelling, and any type of electronic gadgets. My company is related to telecommunications and has presence in some countries of Europe, Africa and Latin America; this gives me the possibility to travel to many places all around the world and to meet people from different cultures.

How often have you been to Africa?

With more than 20 times visiting wild Africa, I consider myself a privileged person. As leisure I have visited Kenia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Botswana. Still there are other countries that I want to visit but one of the scarce resources in life, when you have to work, is time.

Botswana is the country that I have visited in more opportunities, not only the Tuli Block, but Kalahari, Okavango, Moremi, Kwai, Savute, Chobe and an incredible place, Elephants Sands,  in the middle of nowhere between Nata and Kasane, where the distance to wild elephants without any protection in between only depends on how brave you are!

What is it that makes Africa unique for you?

Nature still is there as it was before man appeared. Someone called it today’s Pleistocene, where wild life happens as it was hundreds of thousands of years ago and we still have the opportunity to live it!

photo: Alfonso Alarcos

And what is special about Botswana and the Tuli Block?

Botswana is still one of the wildest places in the world; icon for any nature lover, and still keeps all species of animals, and many of the jewels in danger of extinction. The Tuli Block is an area of future development; important plans to develop are already approved, such as the transfrontier park between South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. This, together with initiatives such as our private game reserve, will recover a huge pristine area that can become one of the most interesting places in this world from its potential of wildlife, in a sustainable way and it will also benefit the local communities.

How did you find out about this private game reserve?

Flying between Durban and Johannesburg in July 2005, I found in the airplane magazine an article about game farms in South Africa and the possibility to own your own place in Africa. Once back to Spain, I started to investigate how it could be done, really it was a dream for me at that moment of time! After a long search on the Internet during the summer of 2005, I finally found the website of this private game reserve in September 2005.

When did you decide to invest in this private game reserve?

In 2006, after a visit in February that year. I fell in love with what I saw, it was really much more a promise to believe in than a reality, but illusion was stronger than logic.

What was the main reason for you to invest in this reserve?

The way I see the investment in this reserve is not as an investment as such. I see it as a way to protect a part of Africa, together with people with similar interests and to leave an heritage to my children; something much more valuable than any amount of money they could get from me.

Before investing in this private game reserve, I got information from game farms in South Africa, but any already developed farm was really expensive and many of them were under the time share concept that didn’t fit my ideas. I wanted to have the freedom to travel to the place at any time and as many times as I wanted. This unique game reserve really fitted to my idea of a property in Africa.

During my trip to visit the reserve, I was invited by the promoters to Dopota, another game farm smaller than this reserve placed also in the Tuli Block, to the wooden huts down the river in the Vanike’s property. It was good to get an idea of what I could expect to get.

When I walked the place of the today’s game reserve, it was nothing there; all full of wire fences, no infrastructure at all, hardly to see any animal because they were scared, not used to game drive vehicles. A logical decision would have been not to buy, but finally it was my heart the decision maker! I thought that the place really could become a real reserve and that I could be one of the privileged owners of that part of Africa.

photo: Alfonso Alarcos

How often do you visit the reserve?

At least once per year around 10 days, but my future plans are to increase to a minimum of two times per year and more days per visit. I like to spend part of the time in the reserve and also to travel to other places of Botswana.

What is your favorite spot at the reserve and why?

The top of the hill. Views from there make me feel the vast size of the area around, and I can see myself as an eagle flying over.

Can you describe your perfect day at this private game reserve?

To drive by myself to the water holes, stay in complete silence and have the chance to see a leopard going for a drink.

Last but not least is the importance that for me has the opportunity of meeting other people from all over the world, with similar interests than mine and to have found real friends when fighting together for the survival of the reserve during the difficult times that fortunately seem to be definitively over.

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Are you inspired by this story and do you want to read more stories like this one? Go to our Blog.
Do you want to get a real taste of what it feels like to be a co-owner of this unique reserve? Go on our digital safari.
Or go to Contact if you want to contact us to get more information.